Grow Your Own Healing Garden with these Top 8 Herbs

Herbs have been used medicinally for thousands of years. You can turn your place into a haven of health and wellness by choosing the perfect healing plants for your garden. Grow your medicinal herbs organically for healing benefits and to add beauty and texture to your space. Gardening is also a therapeutic activity that lowers stress and anxiety levels.

In this article, we share the list of eight health-boosting herbs and their healing properties to help you decide which could benefit you and your family most.

1. Calendula

Calendula is a beloved and popular herb for treating wounds, burns, and rashes. This medicinal herb has excellent skin-healing and strengthening effects. It is used to reduce bleeding and promote skin healing.

Calendula is a top ingredient in soothing ointments due to its skin-healing abilities. It heals skin irritations and contains antifungal and antibacterial effects.

Additionally, calendula blooms like crazy in the summer, and bees love it like other flowers. It is also edible; mix some petals into your salad. It brightens things up and adds great color. Calendula grows well in USDA zones 8-11 in warmer climates.

2. Lavender

Your healing garden is incomplete without lavender. Lavender smells fantastic, bees love it, it's useful for medicinal purposes, and it's a beautiful flower. The aroma of lavender makes this herb the best choice for various home remedies. The fragrant blooms can be added to lotions, soaps, and creams. Moreover, lavender flowers are edible and can be used to flavor chocolate, ice cream, honey, sugar, and tea.

Lavender can also freshen and purify the air and enclosed spaces like drawers. It is hardy and grows well in USDA zones 5–8. If you live in a colder climate, make sure you plant your lavender in an area that receives enough sunlight and stays as warm as possible.

3. Thyme

Thyme is one of the best herbs to grow in your garden for food and medicinal purposes. It has antioxidants, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is an excellent pollinator, attracts bees, smells wonderful, and has a variety of medical uses. Its antibacterial properties promote respiratory health.

Thyme also supports healthy digestion, which is one of the reasons it works so well in cooking. It promotes good oral hygiene and can be used as a mouth rinse to treat canker sores and other conditions. Thymus vulgaris or Thymus citriodorus (Lemon Thyme) are the thyme varieties to use for medicinal purposes.

4. Chamomile

Chamomile is a must-have herb for any healing garden. What would a herbal garden be without lovely Chamomile, like lavender? Its honey aroma and sweet taste are a true treat. This relaxing herb produces the world's most popular tea. It is the ideal tea for relieving cramps and nausea while relaxing the mind and body.

Chamomile is also effective as an anti-inflammatory, as it contains high quantities of azulene. Chamomile flowers can also be used externally to treat eczema, acne, and diaper rash. It gives pain relief, including for arthritis. If you are going to bed and feeling slight pain, consider drinking a cup of chamomile tea!

Chamomile thrives in well-drained, neutral soil and is hardy in 2–9 garden zones. It prefers full sun but a cooler climate.

5. Lemon balm

Lemon balm has been used for over 2,000 years to soothe the heart and alleviate sadness. It smells great, the bees love it, and it grows almost anywhere. Lemon balm has a nice citrus flavor and is an excellent addition to herbal teas for its nutritional content and relaxing effects on the body.

Lemon balm is frequently used in gardens for its pest-repelling properties. Furthermore, due to its antibacterial properties, it can also be applied externally to cure sores. It has a great affinity for supporting the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. It also has strong antiviral properties. Lemon balm is particularly effective against the herpes virus family, which includes chickenpox, shingles, herpes simplex, and others.

6. Holy Basil

Holy basil is another popular herb used as a medicinal plant for over three thousand years. Its leaves and petals have a strong perfume and antimicrobial properties. The leaves and petals are used to make medicinal tea for colds, coughs, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, headaches, arthritis, diabetes, stress, and anxiety. You can drink holy basil tea regularly to help manage cortisol and blood sugar levels.

Fresh holy basil leaves can also be added to salads as a more pungent substitute for basil.

Holy basil is a perennial plant in Zones 10 and above; otherwise, it must be planted annually. Even in milder climates, it has the potential to self-seed abundantly.

7. Feverfew

This aromatic herb has lovely yellow and white flowers with a distinct citrus perfume. As the name indicates, feverfew helps reduce fevers. It has long been used to treat fevers and headaches. The plant's medicinal parts include the flowers and leaves.

Feverfew is also effective for small insect bites. Apply the tincture topically. Since it has minor pain-relieving qualities, it will also alleviate discomfort. In USDA zones 4–9, grow it in full sun to partial shade with well-drained and fertile soil.

8. Echinacea

Echinacea is a well-known medicinal herb with lovely flowers that can be grown for floral arrangements. It is used to treat viruses, bacteria, and fungal infections. Echinacea roots, seeds, and fresh blossoms are all healing and can be combined to make a tingling, immune-boosting tea or medicine. It produces vibrant, daisy-like flowers which attract pollinators and add color and height to the garden. The roots and leaves are used in lotions and ointments for exterior treatments. Echinacea tea is also commonly used to treat coughs, colds, and upper respiratory infections.

Not only is it beautiful, but it is also easy to grow—echinacea is a plant that can endure drought, disease, and insect infestations. Echinacea is a herbaceous perennial that returns to the garden year after year. To maximize flower production, plant this herb in full sun.

Tips for Planting and Caring for Herbs

• You must first create a solid plan to build your thriving healing herb garden.
• You should know which herbs to plant, and which are most beneficial. Your choice of herbs depends on the desired remedies and how you will use them.
• Consider the planting location and space you have. Make sure the herbs you are choosing thrive in your gardening zone.
• You can create a specific space for growing your medicinal herbs or plant them with other herbs and flowers throughout your garden.
• Sow seeds in well-drained soil.
• Regularly water your herb plants to prevent the roots from drying out.
• Prune plants as needed to keep them healthy.
• Don't use herbicides or other toxic chemicals on your plants.
• Harvest herbs at their peak for the best results. Roots, leaves, and flowers can all be used in herbal remedies.
• To store dried herbs, completely dry them and store them in airtight containers away from heat and light.

The Bottom Line

These top medicinal herbs can transform your garden into a healing sanctuary. Growing your own medicinal herb garden ensures that you always have the freshest materials for tinctures, teas, and soothing ointments. One of the significant benefits of growing medicinal herbs is that you have complete control over the quality of the herbs you use in your remedies. It can also save you money over time, as store-bought remedies can be costly. Lastly, growing your herbs allows you to produce your treatments at aa much lower cost.

Start with a couple of your favorite healing herbs, then add some more as you get experience with growing them.